Ray Rice topping 200 yards of offense in a game is nothing new. Rutgers' junior running back accomplished the feat four times in his first two seasons.

But there's something different about the way Ray Rice has done so in each of the Knights' two games this year.

Seerayrun.com may be his Heisman Trophy Web site, but it's really not all about seeing Ray Rice run with the football any more.

He's also catching it. And when the need arises (as it did during a key blitz pick-up against Navy last Saturday) blocking.

So anyone with a Heisman ballot who thinks it takes a complete back to win the sport's most coveted individual award can't dismiss Ray Rice as a one-dimensional wonder any more.

"I've definitely grown as a player," Ray Rice said yesterday. "I knew there were things I had to work on in my game. Pass catching was one. Blocking was another. That was my focus the whole off-season, getting better at everything a complete running back needs to do.

"The way I can tell that I've grown is I'm in there a lot more on third downs now. I don't have to come out on third and long. You can have me in there for a blitz pick up or to catch a pass. That's the biggest change."

The impressive thing is his running hasn't suffered. Heading into 13th-ranked Rutgers' homecoming game against Norfolk State on Saturday, Ray Rice is averaging 179.5 rushing yards per game. His two-game total of 359 leads the nation.

"I never had to catch passes or block in high school," Ray Rice said. "When I came here and saw how hard Brian Leonard worked at those things I knew I needed to improve."

The Ray Rice of the past two years would have accomplished enough after rushing for 184 yards and three TDs in the opener against Buffalo. Take last year's game against Ohio when Ray Rice rushed for 190 yards. His total offense that game: 190 yards. Or his freshman year when he ran for 195 against Cincinnati. That was his total offense for the game as well.

Against Buffalo, Ray Rice was able to supplement his rushing yardage with two catches for 21 yards, giving him 205 yards of total offense.

Against Navy he rushed for 175 and caught three passes for 40 yards for a total of 215 yards in total offense. That game included the first touchdown reception among the 31 TDs he has for his career, coming on a 22-yard screen pass.

"It was weird because after the game I was sure I had rushed for three touchdowns and then someone told me it was only two," Ray Rice said. "Then I remembered the screen pass. In my mind, because it was such a short pass, it felt more like a run. So I had it in my mind that it was a running play."

With five catches for 61 yards, Ray Rice has already exceeded his receiving total from all of last season, when he caught four passes for 30 yards.

"I challenged myself to become a better player," said Ray Rice, who set a school record with 1,794 rushing yards last year. "People have told me I'm a great runner. I want to become a great back."

The numbers suggest he is already the best back in school history. He heads into Saturday as Rutgers' career rushing leader with 3,273 yards and has 17 100-yard performances in 27 career games.

This start, though, is shaping up as his best yet.

"I know I had a good game last year against North Carolina (201 rushing yards in the opener) and that I had 100-something (108) the next game against Illinois," Ray Rice said. "But it feels like this is the best start I've had in college. The pass catching has a lot to do with that."

Ray Rice opened last year by rushing for 499 yards in the Knights' first three games. With 141 rushing yards against Norfolk he will surpass that -- and will be on a 2,000-yard pace.

And the Knights are still using him as a workhorse back, just as they always have. He had 37 carries against Navy, carrying the ball 11 times during Rutgers' 15-play third-quarter drive.